Page 5 of Shrouded Desires
She nodded.
“So, he obviously trusts me as his submissive with his most prized possession, then?”
She nodded once more.
“Then trust me to carry out his instructions, sweetie.” He cupped her cheek. “Because I wouldn’t have agreed to be a backup if I didn’t love you as much as he does.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. He brushed one away.
“I don’t deserve to have you as a bestie.”
He chuckled. “We’ll see if you still feel that way afterwards.” He reached for the belt around his waist, unbuckling it.
She trembled in front of him as the leather slide free. “Sir?”
He drew himself up, slipping into the role of the switch. It was like a too tight suit. It wasn’t comfortable, but for Lizzie he did it. “Over the bed. Robe up, ass bare. Ten lashes for taking the razor, and ten for not coming to me, sub.”
“Yes, Sir.” She stumbled to the bed and obeyed his order. It took her less than five seconds to get into position with her bare ass in the air.
“Count them.” He ordered. He drew back and let the belt fly. The crack of leather against her rounded flesh echoed through the room, followed by a soft cry.
“One, Sir.”
“Good girl.” The belt fell again, this time on the opposite cheek.
“Two, Sir.”
Steadily doling out the punishment, he expertly laid each blow until her entire ass glowed pink. By the time the last stroke fell, Lizzie was a sobbing mess on the bed. Dropping the belt to the floor, he quickly gathered up his sobbing best friend, turning her to face him.
Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she buried her face in his chest. Pulling her close, he wrapped his arms around her awkwardly. “It’ll be okay, Lizzie. He’s strong. He’s coming home to us.” He promised, as he slowly rocked back and forth. He could only pray that his promise wasn’t a false one. Lizzie would be lost without her dominant. And him? He would lose the sanctuary he’d so heavily relied upon, which could end in disaster for him. His social anxiety would ensure that. They both needed Master Max.
* * *
Later that night, Raine stared up at the ceiling, each muscle drawn taut while his brain refused to shut down. It’d been over an hour since he and Lizzie had both showered, then eaten something light in the breakfast nook overlooking the backyard. Somehow, she’d convinced him that she couldn’t bear to be alone, so they’d ended up in Master’s bedroom, curled up on the huge bed while the TV played softly in the background. Not that he bothered to watch whatever was on. It was more for noise to break up the unwelcome silence as he contemplated the events of the day.
Draped half across him - her head pillowed on his shoulder, one slender arm encircled his chest and one leg entwined with his - Lizzie snored softly. He idly played with a piece of her hair as he wrestled with his own demons. His analytical mind refused to let go of the recent events which had occurred over the past twelve hours. From his disastrous scene with Master A to the trauma of the ambulance ride to the hospital with Master, he’d been forced out of his element. Of course, those events had led to his best friend backsliding into the abyss of self-harm and him upholding his promise to Master Max. Add onto the heap his verbal sparring with Master’s best friend, then dealing with Master Lucas, his evening had ended up being one epic monkey fuck.
At this point, he desperately needed an outlet himself, but just like Lizzie he had to obey the rules Master put in place or face the consequences.It’s probably a good thing Lizzie insisted on cuddling.He couldn’t very well go find a lighter with a passed-out woman on top of him. Unlike Lizzie who resorted to cutting, he used the kiss of the hot metal to burn away his demons. Pushing away the temptation, he closed his eyes and concentrated on Lizzie’s steady breathing. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed, he would eventually drop off to sleep.
Chapter Three
“Whatthehell do you think you’re doing?”
The question drew Raine out of his fitful sleep. Groggily, he opened his eyes, not sure what exactly was going on. The last time he’d glanced at the digital display on the ceiling it had been a little after four in the morning. Now, with the sunlight streaming in the east facing windows, he wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but his eyes felt like they were full of sand and his sluggish body clearly wasn’t happy about being awake.
Rolling onto his side, he noted that Lizzie was no longer in bed with him, and vaguely remembered her telling him to sleep, that she was headed back to the hospital. The blurry numbers on the clock read a little before eight.Three hours? Fuck this. He pulled the blanket back up over his head, more than ready to ignore the man’s presence - particularly if it was who he thought it was. He’d never met Storm Peters in person but knew of him through Master Max’s stories and press releases he saw on tv.The man’s a total asshole. I don’t deal with assholes until I’ve had my eight hours and coffee.
“I don’t fucking think so.” The covers were ripped not just back, but completely off him.
“What the hell!” Raine sat up and tried to grab for the retreating warmth of the blankets. “Give those back.”
Standing next to the bed, in his six-foot two glory, Storm Parkers glared at him - or at least Raine assumed he was glaring. “No. Get your ass up.” He tossed the blankets onto the floor next to the bed. “I expect you dressed and in the kitchen in less than ten minutes, boy.”
Raine narrowed his eyes. “Really?”
Storm crossed his arms over his massive chest. “I didn’t sleep worth a shit last night, boy -”
“Don’t call me, boy.” Raine reached over and grabbed his glasses off the nightstand, bringing Storm into crisp view. As usual, he was dressed to perfection in a pair of tan chinos and a royal blue polo with his team’s logo on the pocket. Raine even noted that the man had obviously taken the time to shave his head before he’d invaded Master’s home - before eight in the damned morning. “And no one asked you to show up here at the butt ass crack of dawn!”
